M: Slow Cooker Pork Roast & Kicked Up Banana Bread

I have a confession...Sometimes I really just don't feel like cooking dinner. I know...it's a terrible thing to admit, as a food lover and foodie blogger. But there are some days where the last thing I want to do is cook up a gourmet meal. Usually it's the days where I've been at the office all day long or have just had a stressful week. I do have my usual go-to easy recipes for those days, but I was so glad when Erica loaned me her Christy Jordan's Southern Plate cookbook (disclaimer: she received this cookbook for free), which she posted about last month.

I came across this ridiculously easy slow cooker pork roast recipe. Don't ask me why I've never thought to do something like this before. I was so glad to have something different in my one dish dinner repertoire. The finished product after an 8 hour simmer =)



What are some of your easy one dish dinners?

I also baked up some Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread from Lovin from the Oven. Now, I know people tend to have strong feelings about banana bread - either you love it or you hate it. I happen to love it. But, I think there are always ways to make it better!

I found this recipe that added a simple cinnamon swirl to the bread and I knew I had to try it out. FYI, this bread is addicting! My entire loaf was gone in 3 days. I also love cinnamon in pretty much anything. The pairing of the banana and cinnamon was pretty darn rad. The top is also sprinkled with the cinnamon/sugar mixture which made for a thin crispy sweet topping. Here goes:

Mix bananas, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and baking powder. Gently stir in the flour. In a small dish, mix the cinnamon and sugar together.



Add half the batter to your loaf pan, sprinkle with about half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Add the last half of the batter and then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture on the top.



Bake for 50-60 minutes depending on the size of your loaf pan. I used an 8x5 and ended up baking for 50 minutes.



Banana Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
from Lovin from the Oven

For the bread:

3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour

For the swirl:

1/3 cup sugar
1 TB cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a loaf pan (I just used my trusty baking spray!) I used an 8 x 5. Just keep a close eye on your bread in the oven if you use a different size, and adjust the time as needed.
Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix.
In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 TB cinnamon.
Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle about half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter in the pan. Add the second half of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes depending on the size of your pan. Of course, the good old toothpick inserted in the middle is the best tester =)

P.S. Don't forget to enter our Shake 'N' Bake contest! You have until 7:00am November 5!

Signing off with a pic of Charlie, my best friend's chocolate lab puppy...yes, he's a puppy...a baby...huge mug right? He is so dang cute and cuddly =)

E: It’s Shake N’ Bake… & a Giveaway

Hello! I hope you had a fantastic Halloween. After a birthday brunch for my Dad at Charleston’s Cafe:

I got in some exercise & housework and then got ready for our Halloween/football party. The nice people at Shake N’ Bake supplied Mandi & I with a box of Shake N’ Bake’s new buffalo flavored seasoning mix, football plates, and a stipend to help us put together an awesome party (disclaimer: we received all of these items for free).

According to the people at Shake N’ Bake, the buffalo flavoring mix is “an easy, two-step snacking solution that turns bland chicken into a spicy, low-fat alternative to Buffalo wings.”  Mandi & I had never made Shake N’ Bake before and we were excited to give it a go. A few action shots (yes, I am a cheese ball ;)):

And the final product:

Served with Ranch for dipping:

This was easy to make! I adjusted the cooking temperatures from what was suggested by the box, but otherwise followed the directions. Since I don’t eat meat, I didn’t sample the goods. However, everyone agreed the chicken was really good- light, but spicy! A great, healthier alternative to wings.

Alongside the chicken, we served up some tasty eats with a Halloween theme.Fruit & Ghost Poop (aka- my cool whip dip. Mix 1 container cool whip with 1 single serving container fruit yogurt):

Vegetables with Mandi’s fiery witches dip (aka Greek yogurt & light sour cream mixed with a coastal seasoning blend from the Charleston Spice & Tea Exchange):

Witch’s fingers (I got this idea from a party Janetha went to, pizza dough topped with a little olive oil and spices and a pepperoni “finger nail”. For a vegetarian version- use almonds instead of pepperoni. The fingers were served with marinara):

And last, but certainly not least, Mandi made up beautiful spider web brownies based on a recipe from Lick the Bowl Good:

It was a delicious spread:

We had a great night with our husbands. Aside from eating, we also gave out tons and tons of candy:

Want to win your own Shake N’ Bake party kit including:

• A sample of NEW Shake ‘N Bake Crispy Buffalo
• Football-themed serving plates
• A tip sheet that includes tips on how to host the perfect football party
• A $50 American Express gift card to outfit the rest of your party

Leave a comment below by Friday, November 5 at 7:00 AM telling us about your best/favorite Halloween costume. You DO NOT need to have a blog to enter. The winner will be chosen at random.